Wheel train of alarm watches

ABSTRACT

An improved alarm watch having a second hour wheel rotatably mounted on an arbor spaced from the center of said watch and operatively coupled to the hour wheel of said watch for rotation thereby. Said watch includes an unlocking wheel also rotatably mounted on said arbor and in operative engagement with the alarm setting wheel for rotation thereby. The unlocking wheel is provided with a plurality of projections adapted for registration with like apertures formed in said second hour wheel, said unlocking wheel being displaceable longitudinally along said arbor when said projections are in registration with said apertures for the actuation of the alarm hammer.

United States Patent 1111 ,574,9 4

[72] Inventor Tadahiro Kikuchi [56] References Cited [2]] A l N 33: l m UNITED STATES PATENTS [22] fi Jam 2, 1969 3,349,555 10/1967 Brldevaux 58/16 [45] Patented Apr. 13, 1971 Primary Examiner-Richard B. Wilkinson [73] Assignee Kabushiki Kaisha Daini Seikosha Assistant ExaminerGeorge H. Miller, Jr.

' Tokyo, Japan Atl0rneyBlum Moscovitz, Friedman & Kaplan [32] Priority Jan. 5, 1968 [33] Japan 3 43 44 ABSTRACT: An improved alarm watch havmg a second hour wheel rotatably mounted on an arbor spaced from the center of said watch and operatively coupled tothe hour wheel of said watch for rotation thereby. Said watch includes an unlockin wheel also rotatabl mounted on said arbor and in [54] WHEEL TRAIN WATCHES operative engagement with the alarm setting wheel for 2 Clams 5 Drawmg rotation thereby. The unlocking wheel is provided with a [52] U.S. Cl 58/57.5, plurality of projections adapted for registration with like 58/59 apertures formed in said second hour wheel, said unlocking [51] Int. Cl G04h 23/00 wheel being displaceable longitudinally along said arbor when [50] Field of Search 58/16, 59, said projections are in registration with said apertures for the actuation of the alarm hammer.

Patented April 13, 1971 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented April 13, 1971 3,574,994

3 Sheets-Sheet 5 WHEEL TRAIN OF ALARM WATCHES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the front wheel train of alarm watches. In conventional alarm watches, the unlocking wheel must be arranged at the center of the movement, because the hour wheel is arranged at the center of the watch. The unlocking wheel of the alarm mechanism, however, falls at the predetermined time, and space must be provided between the hour wheel and unlocking wheel for this displacement. Further space is required by the thickness of the spring for the unlocking wheel. Where the alarm hand which indicates the alarm time is provided at the center, the alarm hand goes up and down as well as the unlocking wheel, and still further space must be provided. Therefore the alarm mechanism itself is extremely thick. Particularly in wn'stwatches, many toothed wheels lie one upon another at the center of the watch and even if a thin alarm mechanism is added at that point, the thickness of the watch increases greatly, so that it is difficult to make a flat alarm watch.

It is the object of this invention to provide a flat alarm watch, in which the alarm mechanism is removed from the center of the watch and is optionally arranged at a place provided with few toothed wheels.

This invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description, when in connection with the accompanying drawings shows, by way of example, a preferred embodiment of the inventive idea.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference had to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an embodiment according to this invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view along the line A-A of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the principal part of embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the alarm hammer.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the alarm hammer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the alarm watch pictured therein includes a plate 1 through which an alarm button 2 extends. Alarm stop lever 3 is formed with a pin 3a located in the groove of the alarm button '2. Said alarm stop lever is also formed with a pin 3b located in a longitudinally extending slot 4a formed in intermediate setting wheel lever 4. The intermediate setting wheel lever 4 rotates about the screw 4c. The setting wheel lever 5 can rotate about the arbor of the setting wheel 7. An intermediate setting wheel mounted on the setting wheel lever 5 is shown in engagement with the minute wheel 9, and is maintained in that position because the end 4b of the intennediate setting wheel lever 4 presses the side 5a of the setting wheel lever 5.

Accordingly when the winding stem is pulled outwardly, the clutch wheel 11 engages with the setting wheel 7, so the rotation of the winding stem 10 is transmitted as follows; the clutch wheel ll-Pthe setting wheel "lbthe intermediate setting wheel B-k-the minute wheel 9+the hour wheel 13+ the intermediate hour wheel 14-) the intermediate second hour wheel IS-D-the second hour wheel 16. In this way, hand setting can be done.

Next when the alarm button 2 is pulled outwardly as shown in FIG. 3 the inten'nediate setting wheel lever 4 is turned to the dotted line position by the pin 3b of the alarm stop lever 3, the setting wheel lever 5 turns to the dotted line position under the action of the setting wheel lever spring I8 and the intermediate setting wheel 8 engages with the second intermediate alarm setting wheel 17. In the alarm setting, therefore, the alarm button 2 and the winding stem I0 are respectively pulled outwardly, and as shown in FIG. 3, the rotation of the winding stem 10 is transmitted; the clutch wheel ll- -the setting wheel 7- intermediate setting wheel 8- -the second intermediate alarm setting wheel l7- the intermediate alarm setting wheel 19+the alarm setting wheel 20- -the intermediate unlocking wheel 2l+the unlocking wheel 22. In this way, the alarm is set at the time indicated by the alarm hand 20a of the alarm setting wheel 20.

After setting, only the winding stem 10 is pushed inwardly and the alarm button 2 is left in the outward position. As shown in solid lines in FIGS. 4 and 5, the holes in second hour wheel 16 are not aligned with the projections 22a of the unlocking wheel 22. Thus, said unlocking wheel is maintained in the elevated position, thereby supporting unlocking wheel holder 40 in an elevated position, which in turn supports disconnecting lever 24 (FIG. 4). The projection 24a of disconnecting lever 24 restrains pin 26a of the alarm hammer 26 to retain said alarm hammer. After time goes by, at the indicated time, as shown in FIG. 2, the projections 22a of the unlocking wheel 22 fall into the holes of the second hour wheel 16, and as shown in FIG. 4, in phantom lines, disconnecting lever 24 moves to the phantom line position under the action of the disconnecting lever spring 25 and releases the pin 26a of the alarm hammer 26.

The vibration device of the alarm hammer 26 is explained in connection with FIG. 5. First, the alarm mainspring in the alarm barrel with arbor 28 is wound through the alarm ratchet wheel 27 turned by the winding stem 10. Accordingly when the pin 26a of the alarm hammer 26 is released, the alarm wheel 31, which rotates about pin 30, is turned by the alarm barrel with arbor 28. The alarm wheel 31 drives the ratchet 29 connected with the alarm hammer 26, thereby vibrating said alarm hammer 26 about the pin 30. The alarm hammer 26 strikes the sounding body 32 provided on the case back to bell.

To stop the bell, the alarm button 2 is pushed inwardly as shown in FIG. l, and the end 3c of the alarm stop lever 3 restricts the arm 23 of alarm hammer 26 to stop the vibration of said hammer.

As mentioned above, in the alarm watch according to this invention, the alarm mechanism can be removed from the center of the watch and optionally arranged at a position spaced from said center, it is possible to make a flat alarm watch.

Iclaim:

I. In an alarm watch having an hour wheel disposed at the center thereof and an alarm setting wheel adjustable from outside said watch for setting the time at which said alarm is actuated; the improvement which comprises an arbor spaced from the center of said watch; a second hour wheel rotatably mounted on said arbor and formed with a plurality of apertures in the face thereof; means for operatively coupling said hour wheel and said second hour wheel for the rotation of said second hour wheel in response to the rotation of said hour wheel; an unlocking wheel rotatably mounted on said arbor and formed with a plurality of projections extending from the face thereof toward said second hour wheel, said unlocking wheel projection being in registration with said second hour wheel apertures at at least one relative position thereof; means for operatively coupling said unlocking wheel and said alarm setting wheel for the rotational positioning of said unlocking wheel in response to the adjustment of said alarm setting wheel, said unlocking wheel being longitudinally displaceable along said arbor toward and away from said second hour wheel when said second hour wheel apertures and said unlocking wheel projections are in registration; and hammer means operative in response to the displacement of said unlocking wheel toward said second hour wheel to actuate said alarm.

2. An alarm watch as recited in claim 1, wherein said hammer means includes disconnecting lever means pivotably mounted in said watch and a hammer, said disconnecting means being pivoted out of retaining relation to said hammer upon the displacement of said unlocking wheel toward said second hour wheel for the release of said hammer and the actuation of said alarm. 

1. In an alarm watch having an hour wheel disposed at the center thereof and an alarm setting wheel adjustable from outside said watch for setting the time at which said alarm is actuated; the improvement which comprises an arbor spaced from the center of said watch; a second hour wheel rotatably mounted on said arbor and formed with a plurality of apertures in the face thereof; means for operatively coupling said hour wheel and said second hour wheel for the rotation of said second hour wheel in response to the rotation of said hour wheel; an unlocking wheel rotatably mounted on said aRbor and formed with a plurality of projections extending from the face thereof toward said second hour wheel, said unlocking wheel projection being in registration with said second hour wheel apertures at at least one relative position thereof; means for operatively coupling said unlocking wheel and said alarm setting wheel for the rotational positioning of said unlocking wheel in response to the adjustment of said alarm setting wheel, said unlocking wheel being longitudinally displaceable along said arbor toward and away from said second hour wheel when said second hour wheel apertures and said unlocking wheel projections are in registration; and hammer means operative in response to the displacement of said unlocking wheel toward said second hour wheel to actuate said alarm.
 2. An alarm watch as recited in claim 1, wherein said hammer means includes disconnecting lever means pivotably mounted in said watch and a hammer, said disconnecting means being pivoted out of retaining relation to said hammer upon the displacement of said unlocking wheel toward said second hour wheel for the release of said hammer and the actuation of said alarm. 